My Chip & My Chair

Last Friday was a "Black Friday" for American friends regarding the online poker world. It was such a sudden move that online poker was banned in the US. Very weird. We play US poker sites and the most we could think of is our own country got banned instead of them. I'm not too sure what happened though but business as usual for foreigners. It also affected our games because it takes quite long to start a game without the US players. It will also shock the people who are professional online poker players who grind for a living, its sad.

Increased my stake to $5 recently on my SNG HUs. I still need to get used to it because this stake is definitely over my margin based on my capital. I had a game earlier, it was close.. I was down to 295 and managed to win back the game (brag). It was easily a loss. I was lucky on shoves.

The guy was tight and aggressive. But so far the first opponent I faced without a single limping. He either raised 3bb or fold pre-flop. But he only 3-bet me once in the session, so I did not worry about bluffing the blinds. In HUs, I think one of the challenging opponents are those who fold immediately upon your show of strength (a raise, re-raise). He fold 70% of the time on my pre-flop raises. He wants to control the game, meaning he only allow hands to go on on his lead (last to bet). I like to play this way too because it makes opponent pretty hard to win your money, the only way you can do is to trap him, which I did but not 100% successful, explain later. But I prefer varying my play throughout the game. But my weakness I supposed is I get too predictable on bigger blinds.. due to risk.

I took the hand replays of key hands in the session.. just for record sake.. was happy with the win. :) Like Jack "Treetop" Straus incident on winning the 1982 WSOP main event after he shoved and left a chip which leads to the saying "Chip and a Chair".

Hand #7 - Huge pot lost early in the game. I was in this state most of the game.. struggling hard.



Hand #25 - not sure he was bluffing but I almost shoved in here.. lowest chip count after this pot.



Hand #26 - this was ugly play by me, but I thought of trapping by failed.



Hand #28 - first shove.



Hand #50 - this was another lucky shove.



Hand #53 - I tried to trap here, but he didn't raise on river. maybe because this was the firstime I called him to the river. we all wish every flop is like this.



Hand #55 - another huge drawdown.



Hand #68 - last key pot for me on the match. won him with a kicker.



Hand #72 - last hand.



About 22 minutes for 72 hands. This was one of my best. Of course I almost gave up mid-way.

It is Good Friday, have a happy long weekend everyone! For fellow Singaporeans, election is coming.. vote wisely!!

Black.

Poker Heads-Up & School Sucks

It's been a while.. again. Been super busy with work and school at nights. There are 4-5 assignments at hand right now and free time are only having a few hands of poker, barely had time to have drink with friends even.

My plan now is to resume trading after my very last exams, which will be upcoming end May. After which, I will put time back to chart analysis and swing trade, because I don't want to have intensive trading yet. I seriously can't wait for school to be over with.. this 3.5 years seems like 35 years to me. At least within this working/studying 3.5 years, I managed to learn the fundamental basics of trading and poker. After that I will have lots of own time.

I just bought an iMac recently at our yearly IT Show in Singapore. I remembered FX said, once you go iMac, you won't go back to Windows. Haha I agree.. it has very nice usability and everything is simpler. I preferred a desktop since my school is finishing, and I bought an Acer notebook 3 years back but I barely carry it around. So a desktop, without a CPU, is the reason I go for it. Carried it home, plug just one wire and ready to roll!

As for pokerstars, after my huge drawdown early march playing 10c cash games multi-tabling, I haven't really stepped back to cash games. Right after, I played a bit of 18-men SNGs (Sit & Go) and 9-men SNGs, I even go for some micro turbo 90-men SNGs, all without much luck. SNG is a different play with cash games as you all know. I think cash games require a bit more skills, and SNG require skills early game, and the fishes like me have their chance to catch up late game when the blinds grow big.

Since end last week and this whole week, I have been grinding some HUs (heads-up) SNG and had lotsa fun. Yea fun because I won haha. I played 2+0.2 HU and 2+0.1 HU-Shoot-out - shootout meaning 4-men heads-up.

I used to have much fear playing HU because it is some thing you have to give your full focus, like when your opponent is tight, starting to bluff, starting to attack or withdraw, basically the rhythm of things. So I don't dare to go more than two tabling at once. I wonder how pokerstars' superstar showdown, where they go four-tabling against the SAME opponent is like OMG.

I can't really tell why I'm on winning streaks for HU at the moment, probably most of opponent I meet are taking micro-stakes for fun. HU is very different from full table. I had fun, and learn even if I lose. My results this week is 20-8. 8 of the lost, 2 of which are the same opponent, the other 2 is against my good friend, and the other half are some one else. My 20 wins are from different opponents. It probably mean that the same opponent who beat me twice seriously outplayed me in some ways. But by winning once, doesn't mean anything probably, that's why I don't re-challenge opponent I won LOL.

Still got half the assignments to rush. And I hate Mondays omg. As writing it's Sunday night and I can't bear to go to sleep. Wet weather this week and I didn't went to jog for my training of IPPT - Individual Physical Proficiency Test every Singaporean men have to take every year. You get some money if you get pass with certain points, more money with silver medal, even more with gold medal.

I only got gold once in my national service days and after that test I told myself it will never happen again. Almost run to death. 2.4km in 9.24min (gold is <9.45). After my service I had two years of silver, last year I had a passed with money because of some operation before the test. I am targeting a silver this year but I think it's gonna be tough. I never had problems with static stations (sit ups, shuttle run etc) but running is a serious killer. I hate running and I sucks. It takes not only physical, stamina but even mental ability to push through.

Wish me luck, wish you luck, wish everyone luck luck luck!

Black.

Good Week Bad Day So Many Words

Been 2 weeks since I last posted. Very busy with night lessons, group assignments and online homework. Trading has come to a complete halt at the moment. Oanda account has finally break-even after 6 months and I did not trade with my FXDD account because I have limited access to it.

Wednesday, Bottle and I went to a talk hosted by Oanda Asia Pacific here in Singapore, by Stuart McPhee on basic trading lesson. It wasn't a lesson about asking you to sign up their course though he was selling his book at the refreshment and attending the talk gives you chance to win an iPad. I admit I was there partly because of it.

The fee of the course was $50, but for Oanda account users, they will deposit it into your account, on top of that Oanda account users have 3x more chance for the iPad. Ok I seem to be going for the wrong reason, but thats not the saddest thing. I fell ill in the afternoon and was feeling terrible during the talk. Had cold sweat and was feverish, I was dozing off throughout and had medical leave the next 2 days. So sorry if I am not able to share what was taught in the talk, but they were things like using take-profit and stop loss and identifying trends and basic bankroll management. It was good, Mr Stuart believes solely on technical analysis only. And also he take things simple, and does not complicate his trades.

I had quite some time for poker this week. Monday started off badly, joined a 27-man SNG with my fren and I was out in no time. Felt bored along the way so I played a 6-handed $0.10 table, seeking action. Sadly the play was different, I kept getting called unlike in a full ring game and drew down quickly.

Thursday, on my first day of medical leave, I was 6-tabling 500 hands. I think that was my limit. Am tired right after the session. That day, I ran pretty good, I was up about 20+ usd, never in my poker life have I had such a successful session. I later joined a 18-man SNG and cashed out 2nd place.

I planned my style before the session. I have been losing by being too loose and calling opponents' raises and playing too much hands. This time I approached the game by folding more hands than before, folding opponents' raises, playing much much tighter. It ran real well. In a full-ring game, I managed to bluff a lot of pots too, I think partly because other people were also playing a lot of tables at once. And probably they can't be bothered when they miss their flops.

On Friday, I played the same blinds 10cent table 6-tabling and again another 500 hands. It was bad at some table, my JT hearts ran into ace high flush. At the other table, I called a re-raised pre-flop with 66. Flopped a 6 and I re-raised all-in against aces. Sweet. I got closed to 10 usd that session using the same approached. Later in that day, I played another 18-man SNG and won 1st!! It was a micro though. I was so happy and dancing around until my girlfriend asked the prize I won.. errrmm.. seven dollars. WHAT!? Was it worth the effort she asked. Its the winning that counts heehee.

So the 2 days ran well, but I think that doesn't prove my approach is good yet. I see improvement becuz I slowly grind my way up in the session, but I still think I'm seeing too much flop. So I took a day off on Saturday, and started my third session on Sunday, today. This time, it went all the way to 900 hands. It might be little to some of you, but 3 hours sessions was a strain to my eyes. My little 14.1 inch laptop could only fit 6 tables at once, I took another shot at a micro 27-man sng and have much difficulty on the 7th, I really got no place to put and was so clumsy. I was out quickly in 18th place and I didn't even know what I was doing.

Lesson 1: never play more than you/your screen can handle.

I ran bad on the start, with an all-in with something against something I forgot. I slowly grind my way back and was seeing profit already. I dominated some of the tables. That was about 500-hands when I last checked. I thought it was a Sunday and I was pretty free so I continued my session. Maintaining throughout, my connection got messed up on about 700+ hands and I was stuck in four of the tables, unable to play, exit nor cashout. I had to close them out and join another table. I was feeling frustrated already and I began losing. Cards ran pretty badly right after and then I got disconnected again. Maybe this is an omen for telling me to stop my session.

In less than 200 hands, my profit of less than 10 became -30 quickly.

Lesson 2: don't play beyond session you can handle, stop once u feel fatigued.

Lesson 3: stop immediately once you feel irritation. cards are supposed to be ur fren, if u feel irritation, they will become ur enemy in no time.

I finally sat out and walk out of my seat. My water-bottle was empty and I was feeling dried up. My eyes really needed a break and I felt like shit. It feels exactly like those tilting days like my trading. I went for a shower to cool off and thoughts kept running over my mind. I felt anger and frustration. Feel like screaming if you ask me.

I went out and took a breather. Back home, I thought about one more tourney for the night. I maintained well and was chip lead until a flop T34, I had pocket 34 and re-raised all-in becuz he was short stacked. Expectedly, he turn over an AT, top pair with best kicker. I was favourite at the moment, although I know he had outs. Unexpectedly, turn came a Q, river came a Q. ARGH. That over-pair on the board overwrites my treys. Thats poker. My stack was halved. I was out in the 7th later with A4s vs pocket tens, taking another huge draw-down on my bankroll.

Lesson 4: Now I know why people say stop during your bad day, because if you continue, it felt double worst.

Lesson 5: Such days makes you appreciate break-even day. (which leads to the what-if what-if if-only if-only I had stop at 500 hands at little profit blah blah)

After reading Trader32's post of full-time trading, it kinda give me a clearer picture on dreams on becoming a full-time trading, or full time poker? Full time poker doesn't seem to exist in my country except probably Pokerstars team pro Bryan Huang.

Trading/poker skills aside, it definitely have tremendous stress when ur income solely dependent on these. Because u need money, u need to trade, becuz u need to trade, u may do it despite having no setup. Besides, being an employee, company gives u 14.5% of your salary into your Central Provident Fund account, something very important to us Singaporean. We use it to buy ridiculously high pricing homes here, and we use it for retirement. If we have to become a full time trader, we need to be proficient enuff to sustain such high standards of living. Right now, if lucky, my profit a month can only buy me a double cheeseburger in mcdonalds', not even a full meal with french fries, if they can take out the pickles and charge me less that would even help.

I'm going to have some ice-cream cool off, tomorrow is a new day new week. Gl to everyone at the chart and at the tables!

Black.

Blah blah blah..

So........ bad. Cards were bad. But probably becuz I was too loose in the first place.

I need to work on my play a lot. Today I made the biggest lost.

We sometimes have to accept these shit happen as they are part of it..

But it still feels shitty.

Its time to seek the oracle.

SNG: 2nd Place, Upcoming Week

Didn't trade for the past two days. Busy and waking up early due to some event function for my company. Managed to find a little bit of time for a SNG match on stars earlier.

The match started well, people get knocked out quite fast. Until when there were 5 people left the match was quite a drag. I could have knocked out one guy after drawing the nut flush on the river, but I didnt bet his whole stack. I bet two times pot size on river so to leave him 400 chips so that someone else could knock him out for the bounty, stupid.

Until when there were 3 of us left, there was a lady (i'm not sure if its really one but her nick sounded like it) who "kicked me in the nuts". Consecutively two hands went like this against her:

I held JJ.

Raised pre-lop 2 bb.

Flop - 9TJ

I didnt bet a lot becuz it seems dangerous.

Turn - K

I bet one big blind again and she called.

River - 7

She called my two bb bet again.

Naturally, she turned over a QK for a straight, on flop.

=============================

Next hand,

I held TT

I raised another pre-flop with 2 bb (been raising wide range of hands for 2 bb)

Flop - T39

I flopped the nuts again, and bet on it. Two of them called.

Turn - 8

She checked, despite hitting her straight draw, I bet and they called.

River - 6

She bets, we called, and she turn over QJ and groped us by below.

===================

During heads-up, I think both of us can't wait to tear one another apart after such a draggy session, when three players left (me, the lady and another opponent). The "another opponent" is the one left who heads-up with me. Lost my last pot on 77 vs 99 all-in pre-flop.

And after the session, as always, I find myself running to the toilet. I managed to only knock out one guy for a bounty though.

======================

School will be resuming next week, my last week end for enjoyment. I am probably putting trading and poker aside even more for this four months ahead to complete my last semester of school smoothly.

I considered leaving my current job so that I can focus on my last semester of school and then have a "trial" of doing trading/poker full-time for the next four months. But how many of us dare to leave a "stable" job so that they can have "unstable" income? Hardly anyone I know does, let alone the fact that I haven't had record of consistent profits in either field.

If I plan to move on from my current workplace, then its time to plan which step to go before landing my foot blindly. Its time to find a field or industry for a career soon. I need to know what I wanttttttttttt........... Passion vs Money?????

Black.